Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
A connector apparatus which connects and disconnects a signal line between circuits is known. Such a connector apparatus makes an electrical connection by bringing signal pins into contact with each other and breaks the connection by separating the signal pins from each other. For example, a tool changer applied to an industrial robot uses a connector apparatus which connects and disconnects a signal line interlockingly with coupling and decoupling of a male member mounted on a robot side and a female member mounted on a tool side.
With the tool changer described above, it is necessary to connect and disconnect a signal line used to transmit and receive control signals and the like between circuitry of a control apparatus and the like on the side of a robot body and circuitry contained in the tool. The connector apparatus is made up of first and second connectors attached to a male member and female member, respectively. When the male member and female member are coupled together, the signal pins of the first and second connectors are brought into contact with each other, thereby making an electrical connection, and when the male member and female member are decoupled, the signal pins are brought out of contact with each other. With the tool changer, the signal pins of the connector apparatus are brought into and out of contact with each other repeatedly.
Known examples of connector apparatus such as described above include one in which one or more bumps with a sharp tip are formed on a front end face of one of signal pins and the bumps are butted against a flat front end face of the mating signal pin, thereby making an electrical connection between the signal pins. By butting the bumps against the front end face, films of contamination and the like sticking to the tips of the bumps and the flat front end face are broken, ensuring the electrical connection between the signal pins. Also, to curb increases in electrical resistance by inhibiting formation of an oxide film, generally a metal film resistant to oxidizing is formed on metal surfaces of the signal pins.
A contact probe adapted to connect an IC tester and an IC (semiconductor integrated circuit) is known. The contact probe makes an electrical connection by bringing a tip of the contact probe into contact with a solder ball provided as an external connection terminal of the semiconductor integrated circuit. Known examples of the contact probe include a contact probe in which plural (e.g., nine) square pyramidal bumps are arranged in a matrix on the front end face to ensure contact with the solder ball and a contact probe in which one or more bumps are formed on the front end face as with the connector apparatus described above (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2009-198238 and 2010-38612).
However, the tool changer may sometimes be used, for example, in an environment in which welding is performed in a neighborhood, and spatter scattered by welding may stick to the signal pins of the separated first and second connectors. The connector apparatus in which bumps on one signal pin are butted against a flat front end face of the other signal pin has a problem in that if spatter sticks to the bumps on the signal pin, the spatter, which is considerably hard, will peel off the metal film on the mating signal pin, deteriorating conditions of the electrical connection between the signal pins.
Also, there is a problem in that the conditions of the electrical connection between the signal pins are not improved because the tips of the bumps on the signal pin are worn with increases in the number of contact times, weakening the effect of breaking films of contamination including oxide films although this is not limited to the connector apparatus used for a tool changer.